The Sock
by LMR
Summary: Complete!!!!!!!!!!!!! Come 'n get it, 'Shippers!!!!!!!!!!!!
1. A Really Bad Day

The Sock  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to SU2. It belongs to Evan Katz and UPN. Blah, blah, blah. But UPN really shouldn't mind that I'm borrowing the show, because they were the ones dumb enough to dump it.  
  
Spoilers: The Beast, and it's a good idea to read The Yellow Rose first.  
  
Please R&R!  
  
Somewhere in Chicago:  
  
A college student has just finished her laundry. She neatly folds the clothes and puts them away in her drawers. Unbeknownst to her (but knownst to us) disaster is about to strike! As she folds the last of her socks, she realizes that she has an extra! How could this be? She checked and double checked the washer AND dryer to make sure she hadn't left any inside! That was the third sock this month! And of course, her new spare sock didn't match either of her other sock widows! Oh, the horror! As she left her dorm room, the normally shy and kind young college student was so overcome with annoyance at her lost sock that she callously pushed her house mate down the stairs.  
  
(Cool music here)  
  
Kate was looking uncharacteristically gloomy that particular morning. Not just regular "it's Monday morning and I don't wanna go to work and try to keep my idiot partner from beating up the Gnome and hope I don't get monster slime on my designer clothes" kind of gloomy, but an extra gloom on top of THAT gloom.  
  
Nick recognized it immediately. "Bad date last night?"  
  
She looked like she wanted to snap his neck for even mentioning it. She groaned. "I though Jack the Ripper was bad, but I've hit a new low."  
  
"That bad?" Nick asked sympathetically. "He was a link."  
  
Kate laughed in a way that made it clear that there was nothing funny about it. "This guy was a link, too. A shapeshifter. And on top of that, when I came back from the restroom, he was hitting on the girl at the next table."  
  
"The creep!" Nick knew his lines in this situation very well by now. 'The guy's a creep,' 'He doesn't deserve you,' 'You're better off without him,' and of course, 'You look nice today.'  
  
But Kate didn't relax at all. "That's not the worst of it! He's scuzzy, he's a link, and I just checked with Carl: He's MARRIED!!!!!!!!" Her face was the color of a cherry, and she looked like she would explode. As much as Nick loved explosions, he valued his partner a little more, and rushed to get her a glass of water. Once she had cooled down, she talked again, this time in a low, sad voice. "I really thought that that flower I found was some kind of sign. It sounds stupid, but I really thought things would be okay. I thought that next time, I would meet just the right person. I guess it's just stupid to get my hopes up." She paused. "Sorry to dump on you like that."  
  
"Dump away. Besides beating the snot out of Carl and the occasional explosion, your dumping is the best part of my day."  
  
Kate was about to say something when Page called them into his office. "Benson, O'Malley! Get in here! There's a link prowling about the city and causing trouble. Jonathan!"  
  
"Huh, oh right, the Link. Well, as far as I can tell," he grinned. "You aren't going to believe this! Wow! What we have is a Kleptaraiment." He relished the important sounding word, obviously very proud of it.  
  
Kate raised an eyebrow.  
  
"In English, please," Nick requested.  
  
"Um, well, it's commonly known as 'that annoying thing that takes your socks out of the dryer so you never find them again.'"  
  
Kate laughed, while Nick's expression turned serious. "Look," she said. "I hate that as much as anybody, but what's the big deal? It's not exactly life threatening."  
  
"Oh, really?" Captain Page asked darkly. "I will have you know that the Kleptaraiment is responsible for about 90% of the random crimes that happen everyday. People loose their socks, people get frusterated, people start assaulting people. A wave of rage passes over the city. NEVER underestimate a Kleptaraiment."  
  
"So, is there any good news here?" Kate wondered.  
  
"Sure," Nick said. "When you kill them, they blow up." He winked.  
  
Kate rolled her eyes. She was feeling really bad, Nick knew, but not for long. He had an idea! And given his success with his last idea, which hadn't ruined his life, after all, he was feeling pretty good about it.  
  
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Please R&R! I'll love you forever!  
  
Questions to be answered:  
  
~Will the wave of rage be tamed with the gentle winds of understanding and communication? Or will the stormy seas of frustration forever overwhelm our superegos? (Sorry, I forgot this isn't a Frasier fic.)  
  
~Will the socks of Chicago ever be returned?  
  
~What the Hell idiot thing is Nick planning now?  
  
~When do we eat hot dogs? 


	2. The Daily Game of Beat Up the Gnome

The Sock  
  
Chapter 2-The Daily Game of Beat Up the Gnome  
  
Spoilers: The Love, The Wish  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned Special Unit 2, the world would be a better place for K/N 'shippers everywhere. I don't. You'll survive.  
  
The partners and the snitch headed out to find the elusive Kleptaraiment. They started by going to a small, normally peaceful neighborhood that had suddenly become very. . . grouchy. There was no other explanation than wide-spread sock-theft. Nick was driving, as usual. And, as usual, Nick was driving like an idiot. The car squealed around corners and sped at least 20 over the speed limit.  
  
Kate knew better than to say anything about Nick's driving. It was a macho thing. The only time she had ever driven was when he was doped up on Cupid juice. She spent her time in the passenger seat today thinking about how much her date deserved to die, and how painfully he deserved to do it. Anyway, they always survived Nick's driving, she was just really glad he wasn't beating Carl senseless.  
  
"Hey, O'Malley, you look a little side-tracked!" It was an irritating voice from the back seat. "I haven't seen you this distracted since you were dating that zoo-ee girl." Carl hadn't liked Zoe; when Nick was dating her, he had been really slow on the Fighting With Carl front. Frankly, Carl had gotten a little jealous. He hoped Nick hadn't found some other dumb girl. But he wasn't about to let an opportunity for mocking go by. "So that's it."  
  
"That is not it, I was just. . .planning something I wanted to do later." It was true, really. He was planning how to put his Hopefully Not a Really Bad Idea into action.  
  
"Nicky's got a girlfriend and he doesn't want anybody to know." There was a pause. "Hey, didn't I see you at the flower shop the-"  
  
Carl was interrupted by a sharp right hook, which he gladly returned. Kate just sat back in her seat, rolled her eyes and waited it out. She had learned long ago that there was nothing she could do. Heck, they were probably both having fun.  
  
But Nick was truly not beating up on Carl with his usual gusto. He was just really glad the little twit had finally shut up.  
  
Questions:  
  
What is Nick's idiot plan, already?  
  
How much does Carl know?  
  
Where are the hot dogs?  
  
Does Kate have to be hit over the head with a frying pan before she'll figure this  
  
thing out?  
  
When does something explode?  
  
Wasn't there a link in this story somewhere? 


	3. Hot Dogs

The Sock  
  
Chapter 3 - Hot Dogs  
  
Disclaimer: I asked Evan Katz if I could have SU2 since nobody else seems to want it. He said no. :( Men in Black isn't mine either, although I'm going to go see it when it comes out! I don't own Batman, either. Actually, I don't even like Batman.  
  
Spoilers: The Walls  
  
A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! Please keep them coming!  
  
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Kate and Nick stepped out of the car at the home of Suzee Q. Madeupname. Several witnesses had seen her shove a little old lady out of her way a few days ago. It wasn't like Suzee at all. She was normally a very nice person. The three had agreed that she was their best connection to the Kleptaraiment. If they talked to her, they might be able to determine where it went after it assaulted her laundry room.  
  
"Stay here," Nick told the Gnome. "And don't steal anything," he warned.  
  
"O'Malley, I'm insulted," Carl responded. Even Kate had to roll her eyes. She had initially felt sorry for Carl, the way Nick treated him had seemed inexcusable. She was starting to realize that Carl enjoyed this little game as much as her partner. And as for stealing- Kate didn't trust Carl as far as she could throw him. Less, actually. She was fairly sure she could get some good distance with him. She shook the thought.  
  
The two headed to the door, leaving the Gnome to pout in the car. Kate greeted the young woman at the door with her friendliest smile. "Hi. Ms. Madeupname?" The woman nodded. "I'm detective Kate Benson, this is my partner Nick O'Malley. May we come in?"  
  
Suzee eyed them suspiciously. "Cops? What do you guys want?"  
  
"We just want to ask a few routine questions," Kate answered.  
  
"Is this about that lady?"  
  
"Well, yes, but you're not in any trouble. She decided not to press charges. We were just wondering what was so upsetting that day?" The two were still on the front porch. 'Oh, well,' Kate thought ruefully, 'It still beat interrogating links with a baseball bat.'  
  
"Are you guys shrinks?"  
  
"No, Ma'am," Nick answered this time. "I assure you there is absolutely nothing shrunken about us. Ow."  
  
Kate smiled disarmingly at the lady while she nonchalantly jabbed Nick in the ribs with her elbow. "May we please come in? It will only take a minute."  
  
"Yeah, sure." The detectives sat down on the sofa while she continued. "I really gotta say, that wasn't like me at all. I don't know what came over me. I guess I was just having a really bad day."  
  
"It happens to everybody," Kate assured her. "What was wrong?"  
  
She shrugged. "Just little things, really. I dropped a glass unloading the dishwasher. My dog made a mess on the floor. I stubbed my toe." Out of the corner of her eye, Kate could see that Nick was trying not to laugh. "And then, when I was folding my laundry, I noticed that two of my socks were missing. It wasn't a PAIR of socks, mind you, it was TWO SEPARATE SOCKS. Then my bank called. Turns out I'm-"  
  
"About the laundry, Ms. Madeupname," Kate interjected quickly. "Did you hear any unusual noises while your clothes were drying?"  
  
The lady looked puzzled. "Well, there was a little bit of banging around."  
  
Nick was very interested now. "This banging," he prompted. "Which way did it go?"  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Did the banging move in any particular direction?"  
  
"Um, North, I guess. What kind of cops are you?"  
  
Nick answered with a completely straight face. "We are them. We are they. We are the Men in Black."  
  
Kate sighed. "Shut up." She turned to Suzee. "Don't pay any attention to him. He's a moron."  
  
They headed back to the car. "Where are we going now?" Kate asked.  
  
"Corner of 85th and Main. I know something we should talk to." He paused at the driver's door. "Actually, why don't you drive? I need to make a phone call."  
  
Kate looked at her partner as if he had a duck on his head. As a general rule, she did not drive. She had driven three times in the time she had known him, and once it had been her own car. Even THEN he whined to drive.  
  
Nick didn't act like anything was unusual as they switched sides. "Let's stop to eat first. I'm starving." He got in the car and dialed.  
  
She started the car. After a few seconds, a smile spread across his face. "Hey, Nancy. What's new? Since last night, I mean. Oh, good, good. I'm alright. You know that thing we talked about? Yeah, that. Well, I was thinking about that- Kate, stop sign."  
  
What was he talking about? What thing had he been talking about with Nancy? Not Nancy the new detective? Last night?  
  
"Kate, stop sign."  
  
"What?" She turned to him just in time to see a stop sign flash past. She checked the speedometer. 60. Whoops. Little high. She slowed the car.  
  
"So anyway, you know what I mean, right? Yeah, I think that's a good idea. Oh, and did you get the flowers? Great. Thanks a million. You are fantastic. Bye." He hung up.  
  
"Hey, O'Malley, what was that all about?" It was Carl, talking in his most annoying tone. "Last night, huh?"  
  
"Shut up Carl." He didn't seem in the mood to beat Carl up, which was quite rare. "Hot dogs," he said to Kate.  
  
"What?" She was confused.  
  
"Hot dog guy, over there. Pull over."  
  
Kate stopped the car and they got their hot dogs. "Nancy Levine? That new detective?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, yeah, that was her."  
  
She smiled wickedly. "What's going on?"  
  
"I can't tell you. Good hot dog."  
  
"You can't tell me?" She said incredulously. "Oh, c'mon, you tell me everything!"  
  
"No, I don't. You only think I do. See, I lead a secret double life and you don't know anything about it. Remember when I said I was a silverware insurance salesman? That's my other job. I'm a monster fighting cop by day and a door to door dishware policy salesman by night. Sorta like Batman. You didn't know that, did you?"  
  
"Oh, come on, be serious!"  
  
"I AM being serious. I can't tell you."  
  
Kate pouted and returned to the car. She started to open the driver's seat.  
  
"Hey, I wanna drive!"  
  
Kate rolled her eyes. "Like a five-year-old."  
  
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Well, whatja think??!! Please review.  
  
Questions to ponder:  
  
When is something going to explode?  
  
What is Nick going to interrogate?  
  
Who is Nancy?  
  
What is his idea, already? 


	4. Bob

The Sock  
  
Chapter 4: Bob  
  
Disclaimer: I opened a Mork and Mindy lunch box and a genie came out. She said I could have one wish. I wished to own Special Unit 2 so I could put it back on the air. She told me to get a life.  
  
Spoilers: Better read The Yellow Rose  
  
A/N: R&R! I love you guys!  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
When the three arrived back at HQ, Kate was in a foul mood. Bad date, bad link, annoying partner, and an annoying partner who was seeing someone and refused to tell her about it. This day could not get any worse. (A/N: Tempt fate, much?)  
  
But when Kate arrived at her desk, she found a rather pleasant surprise. Sitting there were an envelope and a box. She opened the envelope nervously. Inside was a pretty card. The note read:  
  
"You don't really know me, but I think you're wonderful. Signed, Bob." She didn't know anyone named Bob. She turned her attention to the package. The box itself was lovely. It was covered in a velvety red material, and roses were stitched into it. She smiled and opened the box. Chocolates. Nice ones, too.  
  
"What's that?" Kate jumped. She hadn't noticed Nick behind her.  
  
"I don't know. I mean, it's chocolates, but I don't know who sent them."  
  
"Hmm." He didn't seem terribly intrigued. "Can I have one?"  
  
"No! There my chocolates." She showed him the card. "There from . . .Bob. Whoever that is. Do you know a Bob around here?"  
  
"I think there's a Bob in damage control. Do you think it's him?"  
  
Kate frowned, thinking. "It has to be somebody who works here. This place is well gaurded."  
  
"True. But, it could also be somebody that you know outside of work who got someone here to put it there. Do you know any Bobs around your apartment?"  
  
Kate thought about that for a moment. "I think there's a Bob down the hall. I don't really know him."  
  
"That makes sense. That's what the card said," he pointed out.  
  
"True." A thought occured to Kate. "Wait a minute. That rose I found in the trash. It was right by my desk. Maybe Bob was going to give it to me and then chickened out!"  
  
Nick suddenly became defensive. "'Chickened out' seems a little harsh. Maybe he just thought better of it."  
  
Kate ignored this. "I bet it was Bob who threw it away. I gotta find out who this guy is!" She noticed her partner as though he had just appeared out of thin air. "Will you help me?"  
  
"Yeah, sure."  
  
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So please tell me what you think. Thanks to everybody who's been reviewing, you guys ROCK!!  
  
Questions:  
  
~Who is Bob?  
  
~When are we gonna find out what Nick's idiot plan is???  
  
~Explosion, please?  
  
~Is Kate ever going to figure out that dumb flower? 


	5. Good Cop, Bad Cop

The Sock  
  
Chapter 5 – Good Cop, Bad Cop  
  
Disclaimer: Between the last chapter and now, I bought out Special Unit 2. Yeah, right. Same deal: not mine.  
  
Spoilers: The Grain  
  
A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you for your reviews! Keep it up!  
  
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The next morning:  
  
"Where are we headed today?" Kate asked as they put on their coats to go out.  
  
"I know a pesky little link that might help us in finding the Kleptaraiment." Nick informed her. "Hey, you got any leads on 'Bob'?"  
  
"Nothing. When I asked the guy down the hall about the card he looked at me like I was some kind of nut. Now he thinks I'm stalking him. I swear, if he gets a restraining order on me, I'm just going to give up."  
  
"Relax. That last time wasn't your fault. If that guy had really known you, he never would have gotten that court order. No big deal." They headed to the car.  
  
Kate rolled her eyes. "Easy for you to say. I'm sure you're used to that." She paused, wondering if it was a good idea to ask her next question. "How's everything going with Nancy?" There was almost an edge in her voice.  
  
Nick didn't seem to notice. (A/N: he never does) "Great. Really great." He grinned. I think this is going to work out wonderfully."  
  
Kate wanted to smack him. For bragging about his love life, she told herself. (Psych student's note: defense mechanism. ;) )  
  
"Here we are." Nick got out of the car. 'Here' turned out to be an old abandoned building.  
  
"Huh. Who's here to talk to?"  
  
"What," Nick corrected her. "Meet Dave, the Poltervent. Better known as the thing that makes spooky horror movie noises in air vents."  
  
Kate looked confused. "I thought that was the wind."  
  
"Give credit where credit is due," piped up a gusty voice. "It is because of me that Hollywood learned how to make ghosts scary. Me. Singlehandedly. So I don't want to hear you spouting that gossip about the wind. Got that lady?"  
  
"Um. Yeah. Sure."  
  
"And just for that-don't expect to get any sleep tonight. You got any good windows?"  
  
"Dave," Nick interrupted. "We're here because we want to know about the Kleptaraiment. I got word that the two of you might be traveling in the same airways. You know anything about that?"  
  
"I might." Pause. "What's in it for me?"  
  
Nick frowned as if he were concentrating. "I'll make you a deal. You tell me what you know about the Klept, and I don't blow your underevolved ass into next Tuesday." He pulled out his gun, complete with red ammo.  
  
"You can't do that."  
  
"You better tell him," Kate offered. "He'll do it. I've tried to stop him before, but last time someone tried to get that gun away from him, he dislocated the guy's HEAD. So I really don't feel like getting in the middle of this."  
  
"But you're a cop."  
  
"He's also insane. But I don't care. It's your neck. That is, if you HAVE a neck."  
  
Nick aimed. "Alright, alright. I passed him at the corner of 57th and Lincoln. He was headed to the. . .um, Northwest Apartments. Okay?"  
  
"Northwest Apartments?" Kate repeated. I've heard of that. "Jonathan!"  
  
"We've got to warn him. We can't let him do the laundry, it could drive him over the edge. Let's go back to HQ."  
  
Nick pulled out his phone. "Hey, Nancy! Yeah, great. Absolutely." He smiled broadly. "Yeah, we're headed back to HQ right now. Alright, bye. Kate, seat belt."  
  
Kate was staring straight ahead at the dashboard, not thinking of anything in particular.  
  
"Kate, seat belt."  
  
` She was snapped back to reality. "Huh? Oh, yeah." She fastened her seat belt and they started for HQ.  
  
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Ooooh, gettin' juicy!  
  
Questions that may or may not be answered soon (I really don't know, I'm making it up as I go along. ;) )  
  
~Will they get to Jonathan in time to save him from the Klept?  
  
~Why didn't they just CALL Jonathan?  
  
~Will Bob be revealed?  
  
~When does Kate get to beat the crap out of Nancy? (We all know she wants to – evil laughter.)  
  
R&R! 


	6. The Plot Thickens

The Sock  
  
Chapter 6 – The Plot Thickens  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any more than I did yesterday.  
  
A/N: As always, thanks a million for the reviews.  
  
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Back at HQ:  
  
The detectives found Jonathan working very hard. . . on a game of Mortal Kombat with Torablip. As usual, he was losing. There was an explosion on the screen. The slimy tentacle looked at him with as much smugness as a slimy tentacle could muster before sinking back into the grate, taking a hot dog with her. (There was one just lying around.)  
  
"Jonathan, thank goodness we found you in time!" Kate said when they reached his desk. "Whatever you do, don't do any laundry at your apartment complex until we catch this thing. We got word it was headed straight for your place."  
  
"Thanks for the warning. Today is laundry day." His expression suddenly changed from relief to excitement. "Do you know what this means? I could finally have the opportunity to see a Kleptaraiment up close! It would be totally amazing. Wow!"  
  
Nick looked very serious. "No, Jonathan, it's too dangerous."  
  
"You're right," Jonathan conceded. "It's not worth the risk. Too bad. Wow," he said again, this time, however, it was a wow of sadness.  
  
"That's a relief," Kate said as she headed back to her desk. "That could have been a disas-" She stopped mid-sentence as she came to her work station. On the desk was another card. The envelope said simply 'Kate' in a very nice script. She opened the envelope happy. She could get used to this! Inside was a pretty card that said simply. 'Hoping this will brighten your day, Bob.' Kate smiled broadly, momentarily forgetting that she had no idea whatsoever which Bob this might be. She didn't really care. Somebody really liked her! "Hey, Nick! Check it out!"  
  
He came to her desk. "What?"  
  
"I got a card from Bob! I wish I knew who Bob was."  
  
"I talked to Bob in damage control. He doesn't know anything about it." Nick offered. It must be somebody you know outside."  
  
"I can't think of anyone. Maybe Carl knows!" She headed toward the Gnome. "Hey, Carl. Have you seen anyone around my desk lately?" She showed him the card.  
  
He scrutinized it for a moment. "Nope." He looked as though a thought just occurred to him. "I saw Nancy up here. Said she was looking for you." He indicated Nick.  
  
"Oh, great, that helps," Kate said, her voice coated with sarcasm.  
  
"I better go look for her. I'll see you guys later."  
  
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How'd you guys like the explosion? Mwahahahaha.  
  
Questions that I might possibly answer next time if I feel like it, maybe:  
  
~Who is Bob?  
  
~What is Nick's idiot idea?  
  
~Will Chicago ever get their socks back?  
  
~Does anybody actually care about the link in this story? 


	7. A Few Answers

The Sock  
  
Chapter 7 – Some Answers  
  
Disclaimer: Alas, woe is me! I do not own Special Unit 2. *Sob* I'll live.  
  
A/N: Thank you for the wonderful reviews! They do my little SU2 loving heart good! This chapter is very short but VERY pivotal  
  
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Kate couldn't explain exactly why she did what she did then. She snuck over to the partitian where Nick and Nancy were talking, and lowered herself behind it so she could hear. She ducked under a shelf.  
  
"Thanks a lot for this, Nancy. I really appreciate it. If she ever found out I was doing this she would kill me! She's had some bad trouble with dates lately, so I just thought a secret admirer would cheer her up. I didn't know she'd go looking for Bob!"  
  
"She's a DETECTIVE, silly," Nancy answered. "You should have known." She paused. "Anyway, nobody thinks anything of it. If someone sees me around here, I just say I'm looking for you."  
  
"You're a good liar, Nancy. I respect that."  
  
"Who's lying? I HAVE been looking for you! The flowered box of chocolates cost five, and the two cards cost three fifty." She held out her hand, and Nick filled it with dollars. "And, you owe me a favor."  
  
"I know, I know, I owe you big. Thanks."  
  
At this point, Kate was seething. She didn't know who to be madder at – Nick for making her think she had a secret admirer or herself for believing it.  
  
"Hey!" A sharp little voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She straightened, banging her head against the shelf.  
  
"Ow! What, Carl?"  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"Oh, nothing. Hey, did you know anything about who Bob really was?"  
  
"No." He suddenly looked excited. "Did you figure it out?"  
  
"I sure did," Kate said, angry. "It was Nick. He felt sorry for me. Jerk."  
  
Carl thought about this. It actually made sense.  
  
"All that time, he let me think that I really had an admirer, that somebody really thought I was special, and it was just a trick!"  
  
"Don't be silly, Kate," Carl said with a frankness rather unlike him. "Of course you do. It takes a true friend to do something that stupid and downright humiliating to make you feel better. You should feel special."  
  
Kate smiled. The little link was making sense.  
  
"Especially when he knows he's going to get a lot of flack from a certain Gnome!" He started off.  
  
"No! Please, Carl. Not this time."  
  
"Spoil all my fun!" He sulked away to play Dino Crisis with Torablip.  
  
Nick tapped Kate on the shoulder, oblivious to the conversation that had just taken place. "Come on, there's been a sighting!" And they headed out to take care of the Klept.  
  
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And you all thought Nancy was a threat to the 'ship! She was helping it out all the time! Mwahahahaha!  
  
Please review!  
  
What will happen next???? 


	8. The Ambush

The Sock  
  
Chapter 8 – The Ambush  
  
Disclaimer: Hmm. Own Special Unit 2 I do not. Boast that I do, I do not, for lying leads to the Dark Side. But kick serious Sith Butt with lightsaber, that I do. Hmm.  
  
A/N: Thank you much for wonderful reviews!  
  
Spoilers: Running joke from The Wish  
  
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"Let's kick some link ass!" Nick said exhuberently as they headed for the car. Their red ammo clips were loaded. (Woo-hoo! Red ammo!) Kate was annoyed with the information she had just recieved, but determined to do her job well.  
  
They drove to the abandoned building where the Klept had been seen. They got their guns at the ready and hopped out of the car.  
  
There! They caught sight of the link and rushed to where it was standing. It ran, but hey, these are SU2 agents. He didn't stand a chance. They aimed their guns and started firing.  
  
Now, Kate didn't generally get a huge thrill out of taking the life of a link. But today, Nick noticed, she looked especially distracted. As they were firing, looking straight ahead, he decided to find out why. "What's wrong?" he shouted between blasts.  
  
"I just found out who Bob is!" she called back.  
  
"You did???? I mean, who?"  
  
"You know perfectly well who!"  
  
Not much could distract Nick from the joy of destroying a link, but this did it. He turned so that he missed what happed next.  
  
There was a terrific flash of light followed shortly by a ring of flames coming straight out of the Klept's body. There was a booming sound so astounding that it went down in Chicago history as one of the greater mysteries of the city. And with a marvelous 'pop', the socks of Chicago rained down in a tremendous storm. (It's raining SOCKS, halleluia!) Blue, black, white, purple with pink polka dots, and some with teletubbies.  
  
"I missed it!" Nick whined. Then he turned his attention back to his partner. "How'd you find out? Did Carl say something?"  
  
"Yes, but-"  
  
"I can't believe him!"  
  
"Wait! HE convinced me not to kill you. He found out from me." Nick started to open his mouth to question, but Kate beat him to it. "I'm a detective, stupid."  
  
Nick looked slightly confused. "Should I be afraid?"  
  
Kate smiled. "No. it was a nice thing to do. And the chocolates were great."  
  
Nick looked hopeful. "Any for me?"  
  
Kate scowled. "No."  
  
Nick made a face. "Go away, then." They got back into the car, and typical Kate/Nick fashion, it was as though it never happened. They drove back to HQ.  
  
Once they had straightened out the situation with Captain Page, and assured Jonathan that his laundry was safe, they packed up to go home.  
  
"Doing anything interesting tonight?" Kate asked.  
  
He shrugged. "The usual."  
  
"Why don't we hang out? Rent a movie?" Nick looked unconvinced. "Something with explosions. . ." she offered.  
  
"Seven?"  
  
************************************************  
  
You didn't think I would really leave you without an explosion, did you?! And no, Gin, you don't have to hate Nancy anymore! Stay tuned for movie night! Luv ya! 


	9. Movie Night

The Sock  
  
Chapter 9 – Movie Night  
  
A/N: Sorry about the wait, guys! Here it is: the long awaited finale! In the word of Jonathan, "Wow!" By the way, it's still rated PG!  
  
Disclaimer: Look into my eyes. I own Special Unit 2. I own Special Unit 2. Is it working? By the way, I don't own Predator, either.  
  
Spoilers: The Love  
  
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Kate's Apartment, seven o'clock:  
  
"Hey, come on in. Sorry, it's kinda a mess."  
  
Nick looked around. "This is nothing. My apartment looks like something exploded in it." Kate laughed. "No, I mean it, something DID explode."  
  
Kate looked skeptically at her partner. She never knew what to belive.  
  
"What are we watching?"  
  
Kate looked triumphant. "Pretator series."  
  
Nick just grinned. "You're my best bud. You know that?" Kate laughed and set up the VCR. "Ooh, popcorn." He popped the lid of a bottle of Dr. Pepper (A/N: don't own that either.) and threw it at Kate, who was still fussing with the machinery. "Projectionist!" He heckled.  
  
Kate responded in the exact same tone of voice. "Moron!" She pressed a button. "Got it!" She hurried to the couch. "Hey, share the popcorn."  
  
"Yes, Mom. Ow!"  
  
"Shut up and watch the movie."  
  
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By halfway through the second movie, they weren't paying much attention. They were talking, Arnold all but forgotten. "I mean, it's kinda sad that there's no Bob, but it's okay. I wish I knew who was going to give me that rose, though."  
  
Nick prodded, trying to figure out the best thing to do here. "Maybe it's better that you don't know, it's kind of nice to have a mystery. I mean, do you really want to ruin that?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Nick grabbed a throw pillow and shilded his face. "I left it there."  
  
She yanked the pillow from his grasp. "What???????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
"I didn't mean to cause trouble! I knew you were having a rough time, that's all. I was going to leave it on your desk. I chickened out. I'm sorry."  
  
Kate smiled a little. "Don't be. It was a really nice idea." She laughed a humorless laugh. "Why can't I ever date a guy like you?" She paused for a minute. It looked like she was lost in thought, perhaps contemplating some sudden realization that had failed her before. "Hey, Nick?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Honestly, as a friend, do you think I'm a jerk magnet, or something? I just can't figure it out." (A/N: Psych!)  
  
"Hey, you're not a jerk magnet," Nick assured her. "You're perfect."  
  
She looked at him skeptically. "Then why do only jerks like me?"  
  
"They don't, I mean, not JUST jerks. All the guys are attracted to you. It's just the only ones who aren't intimidated by you are the jerks."  
  
Now she looked really distressed. "Intimdated?"  
  
"No, no, sorry." Nick was desperately searching for words. "It's just, they're afraid to ask you out because they're sure they'd be rejected." Kate smiled just a bit. "They figure you've got guys lined up around the block, so what would you want with them?"  
  
"You really think that's it?"  
  
"Positve." Nick relaxed on the sofa and turned his head to watch the movie.  
  
Kate thought about what he had said for a few minutes. She didn't think she had ever seen him so relaxed. Except of course for that time he was high on Cupid fumes. But that was different. He'd been in love with everything. He had treated everyone so differently. She turned that thought over in her head, remembering. Not really. He hadn't really treated her differently, except for the driving thing. She thought about that some more. (It takes her a while.) She turned to look at him. He was focused completely on the movie, relaxing. There was no one she felt more comfortable with, no one in the world she would rather spend time with.  
  
In one bizarre moment of bravery, stupidity, and who knows what else, she leaned over very slowly, and kissed his lips. He didn't jerk away, and she stayed there for just a moment, wondering what his reaction would be. She pulled away, almost afraid, hoping she hadn't ruined everything. She expected some kind of reaction. Anything, but he just sat there.  
  
He was asleep. She was dissapointed and relieved at the same time. It was probably better.  
  
Nick was, in fact, perfectly awake. But he wasn't about to let Kate know that. It would be akward. She would probably feel bad about it. He 'woke up' a few minutes later and left.  
  
********************************************  
  
Kate never knew exactly what had happend. She knew enough to make her noticably happier. No one else picked up on it, but something about them had definitely changed.  
  
But in a way, it was the same as ever. 


End file.
